“I like the idea of it being just you and I,” she admitted, a bit relieved by his response. “But the more we go at it, the more likely…hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”

Just because Nadine didn’t want children didn’t mean she wanted to sacrifice them to some monster in the Shadow Realm. That would certainly be a trauma that would haunt her.

She appreciated his offer of time. But frankly, she knew her answer. Marry her best friend, not to mention he was a well endowed sexy nobleman? The status certainty wasn’t a determining factor, but it was no small benefit either.

More-so she imagined waking up every morning in Aldrich’s arms. Returning each night to his strong embrace and whispered sweet words into her ears. Cracking jokes and sharing their deepest fears together. And it wasn’t a fantasy…it was a reality within reach. It brought a large grin to her face, her eyes sparkling.

“Aldrich Abbott, if you will be my husband, I will be your wife.”

"We'll find a way, Nadine, I promise you that", Aldrich responded, putting his cutlery down to emphasize that he was serious about it. There were potions that prevented pregnancy, right? Maybe Nadine, or he, could get their hands on those, or maybe someone could help them out with the deal she had made with the monster. He knew things weren't as simple as just sacrificing a child when one happened to be conceived.

He certainly hadn't planned or anticipated for the evening to go this way, so it seemed only fair to let her know that she didn't have to make a decision right away. He wished things could have been more romantic. He would have taken her to the seaside and would have proposed to her there. He decided that he could still do these things, they could still have a nice date to celebrate their relationship. If she wanted to get married, of course. But Nadine didn't seem to have to think about it.

Aldrich smiled widely when she said that she wanted to be his wife. Again he got up from his chair to walk over to her, offering her a hand to help her up. If she got up, he would wrap his arms around her and close his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Nadine Abbott", he whispered, the smile still on his face. "I like that. I like it very much." And so it had happened, the unthinkable. Aldrich Abbott was officially engaged. "I'll get you a ring tomorrow. The prettiest I can find."

She appreciated Aldrich's resolve: Nadine supposed he might be the stubborn sort as she was. The witch even began to allow herself to believe him. The monster Moloch didn't need to hover over her shoulder for all eternity...Aldrich was right, there had to be someway to revoke deal.

The woman grinned with his offered hand, rising to embrace him back tightly, enjoying the connection of his forehead against hers. It was intimate in a new way, a way that spoke of trust and care. A way that she began to feel those masks and armor covering her soul begin to shed. And he had actually proposed marriage...this was real, not some sort of dream or fantasy. Her life was no longer the monotonous and purposeless work, drink, and sleep...she would officially be pledging herself to a man who deeply wished to know her. Nadine was excited to get to know Aldrich even better as well...and, save an ill-placed blade, they would have years to do so.

She couldn't help a thrilled giggle as he spoke her future name, a strange sound out of the typically hard and gruff woman.

"I look forward to it," Nadine's eyes fluttered closed as she focused on soaking in his reassuring presence. "Can't say I ever imagined myself wearing one."

No, Nadine had been quite certain she'd keep throwing herself into battle and booze until one or the other killed her. Life had new meaning now. And she'd explore it with Aldrich.

It warmed his heart to see her so joyous and happy. Genuine laughter was contagious and he couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

He gave her another quick kiss and chuckled. "Neither did I. Life has a funny way of working out just when you started to believe it never would."

He took a step back, still holding her hand. "My dear Nadine, thank you for wanting to be with me. And thank you for the delicious meal. I hadn't imagined this dinner to go this way, but I am glad it did."

He remembered the surprise she had mentioned, and wondered if him bringing up what 'us' meant to them had ruined it. If she still wanted to surprise him, he was sure she would. Nadine's mind couldn't be changed that easily, which was also something he loved about her. She was a strong-willed, beautiful woman.

Even the quick kiss restirred those rare butterflies in her stomach, Nadine happy to hold tightly to Aldrich's hand as he stepped back.

"Can't say I expected this either," Nadine smiled, rubbing a thumb along the back of his hand. "But it's better than I would've dreamed."

She paused, glancing at the stairs as she remembered her planned event for the night.

"I don't suppose you're interested in celebrating in your room?" Nadine asked, raising an eyebrow with a wink. "Your surprise was better than mine, but we can still have some fun."

If he agreed, she'd lead him hand in hand up to his room, where the variety of belts, harnesses, and other toys lay organized across his bed. She knew Aldrich had seen plenty of action in his years (after all, hadn't she?), and the same old dance could be predictable. Nadine hoped some of the goodies would excite and entice the man. She wanted to see, to hear, to feel his total and complete satisfaction, especially now moreso that they would be wed.

She'd also procured a bit of magic for that very reason. It had taken her some finessing to get a witch to part with the potion, but she did not trust her own less than expert brewing skills to make the draught. Typically this particular brew was used in interrogations and torture in the military, but Nadine always thought it deserved a better application. The effect was to double the drinker's sensation of physical touch. She could only imagine what every intimate moment felt like two-fold, and hoped it would be as exciting as it sounded. Picking up the small glass vial full of pink liquid off the nightstand, she'd press it into Aldrich's palm.

"When you're ready," Nadine traced his jaw with her fingers, staring into his eyes with her mouth slightly open. "I want you to lead."

An excited grin formed on his face. Celebrating their engagement in the bedroom sounded like a great idea to him. In a way, it would be unifying the old and the new. They had gotten to know each other better in the bedroom in the first place, and now the circle was complete. Now he would be sharing his bedroom with her forever, and not just for some quick fun followed by a 'are you staying over?' kind of conversation. The new meant that he could cherish, love and protect her unconditionally.

So Aldrich followed her upstairs, wondering what she had prepared. The way she had spoken about this surprise had made it sound like there was more to it than 'just' having a fun time. It seemed like she had something new in mind.

When the man entered the room after her, his eyebrows lifted a bit in surprise, accompanied by a wide, amused and excited grin. This was interesting. Nadine had gone above and beyond to prepare a fun evening for them, and he couldn't help but wonder how the conversations with merchants must have went when she bought all these things from them.

He turned towards her, about to respond to what he saw on the bed, when Nadine pressed a goal into his hand. He looked at the label and was surprised. Belts and harnesses were exciting, but this? This was completely new to him. He knew what the potion was capable of, so it wasn't difficult to guess what its effects would be while partaking in this kind of physical activity.

His fiancée running her fingers along his jaw sent chills dow his back, in a good way. He was thrilled and allured by everything Nadine had put together. He put his hands on her waist, making sure not to drop the goal while doing so, and smiled at her.

"In that case, I want you to put on one of those lovely harnesses so you can do another spin for me. Then we'll share this potion, and we'll see what I can do with all this lovely equipment you've brought, my dear."

He would sit down on the edge of the bed and Kean back a bit so he could enjoy the show if she decided to change her outfit and do a spin for him, like she had done with her dress.

Nadine grinned, planting a kiss on his lips before pulling away towards the bed. She picked up a dark leather harness as she turned away from Aldrich, casting him a saucy wink before shrugging off her dress and undergarments. Nadine stepped out of the pile of clothes on the floor, pulling her legs and arms through the various straps. The leather set wonderfully tightly against her skin, accentuating the curves of her body in pleasing fashion.

Nadine slowly turned towards Aldrich, drawing out the reveal before taking purposeful, swaggering steps to where he was seated on the bed. She lifted her arms high above her head, bringing them down to run across her own body with a cocky grin. She wasn't just making fun with any man tonight: this was her fiancé.

"Drink up then," Nadine raised his empty hand to her bosom. "And lead the way."

He eagerly watched as she shrugged of the dress and picked out a harness to wear. He had never witnessed a woman dressed like this, and he admired the way it accentuated her body and the way the tight-sitting straps made the skin beneath it bulge slightly when Nadine moved.

The admiration and satisfaction was visible on his face when Nadine turned around. She was a good tease, the way she ran her hands over her body and showing off what the Goddess gave her.

She didn't have to order him twice. He popped the cork and drank half of the potion. He then got up from the bed, walked over to Nadine and tipped her head back slightly by pushing her chin up with his finger. Then he would pour the remainder of the potion in her mouth.

"Sit down on the bed for me, will you?" he said in a low voice, before looking at the other stuff she had laid out there. A whip caught his eye, and he imagined all the things he could do with it.

Nadine basked in Aldrich's gaze, taking great joy in his enraptured attention. She may be scarred, no longer in the extreme supple youth of her twenties...but her fiancé's affections tonight would be worth more than any of her prior lustful encounters.

She was further pleased when Aldrich began to take charge: it was a nice change from barking orders at cadets all day. Nadine could be fiercely independent, but at night it was nice to let someone else make the decisions. So when Aldrich tipped her chin up, she was happy to swallow the tonic. It wasn't bitter as she imagined it might be: more of a syrupy sweet, vaguely reminiscent of vanilla.

"As you wish," Nadine purred at his command, sitting on the bed.

She liked when his voice deepened...it was an exciting signal for things to come. Nadine watched as Aldrich's gaze traveled over the many toys on the bed, curious and thrilled to see what he would chose.

Those scars Nadine thought about would never matter to Aldrich. Every scar had a story, and he would never think of them as things that ruined her appearance. They were a part of her, and he liked each and every part of Nadine. Not only in a sexual way. He also admired her appearance in a general way. She was objectively a pretty woman, and he was a lucky man to be able to settle down with her.

While the toys and the leather were exciting, he also wanted something gentle, something loving. That didn't mean that he would ruin the fun, though. He could do both at the same time. For now he would wait before picking something from the stash of things she brought.

He crawled on top of her on the bed, keeping himself up on his hands/elbows. He kissed her, then her cheek, her earlobe, her neck... He would kiss her all over, all the way down until he got where he had intended to go. He wanted to pleasure her and focus on his fiancée for now. She deserved only the best of the best.

She grinned as climbed atop her, leaning up a bit to kiss him back, pulling on his bottom lip with hers. Of course Aldrich himself was fully more exciting than any toy, the way he moved and reacted to her body as well as his gentle touch. She would laugh at anyone who said Aldrich wasn't a kind and caring man...after all, so many she had been with simply forced themselves in for their own pleasure and left. But never Aldrich.

His kisses covering her every inch of flesh tingled with an electric spark, growing in intensity as the potion starting kicking in. Nadine felt worshiped intimately, her body humming with his attention. She found herself moaning as he worked his way down her abdomen and beyond, closing her eyes as she arched her back in undeniable pleasure. This was something else.

Nadine wanted to lean up and kiss and feel him back, but it was all she could do to grip the sheets and absorb his loving with a shuddering sigh. And this was only the beginning. Tomorrow, a ring. And the man between her legs would be her husband till death.

"Aldrich," she managed to gasp, her eyes fluttering open with a smile. "I love you."

The way she reacted to his touch, his kisses and his tongue was more rewarding than any kind of promotion he could ever receive as a soldier. He aimed to please her, and it appeared that he wasn't doing too bad, which made him happy, and also gave him (even more) confidence (than he already had). The gripping of the sheets made him smile slightly, but only for a moment, because he had to focus on what he was doing. He looked up at her when she gasped his name, her declaration of love making him happy and making the butterflies flutter again. He stayed down there for a minute or so longer before crawling back up, wiping his mouth on his shoulder before kissing her deeply. "I love you too, Nadine", he said, making sure to look her in the eyes. He wasn't used to being to vulnerable and honest, but with Nadine it only felt like becoming closer and bonding, which was exactly what it should feel like. These kind of emotions were new to him, but he already didn't ever want to stop feeling like this.

Nadine met his lips with her own, closing her eyes as she pushed past his lips. When she pulled back, she smiled widely at his loving gaze staring so very deeply into her eyes with the proclamation of love. She adored the way he said her name, each syllable a resonant melody in his deep, alluring voice. She could listen to him speak for hours, especially with his focus and attention devoted to her.

Her hands traced up his neck, caressing the back of his head as she leaned up to whisper in his ear. "Aldrich Abbott," his name slid across her tongue. "My husband to be."

She was methodical in moving back down his skin, nuzzling her face into his neck as her fingers began undoing the buttons on his uniform. Nadine wanted to make this night memorable for him, to know and love him more deeply than their past superficial exploits had ever been.